FIGC’s New Rule Sparks Controversy In Serie A

byGuest PostonJuly 3, 2010

Next season, Serie A will definitely have a new face, not only the schedules, logo, some of the basic stuffs but also in terms of foreign players that will be playing at the league especially after the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) put out a new rule about the amount of non EU players a team can have each season. According to the new regulation revealed by the organization, Italian clubs that in the past were allowed to buy two non EU players each season will be forced to cut it down to just one foreigners from next season.

This decision has now caused a huge debate among the Serie A clubs with the FIGC as the clubs’ managements doesn’t approve the idea as it would definitely changed their transfer strategy for the coming season. Clubs’ such as Ac Milan, Palermo and Fiorentina have already voiced out their disappointment and disagreement regarding the new rules claiming that the decision made was harsh and could jeopardize the teams’ future as all of their transfers strategy need to be revised.

All the clubs had planned their transfer campaigns based on two non-EU players being available, but overnight the rules changed completely. We’re all perplexed.” said Fiorentina’s director of sport, Pantaleo Corvino

The club’s managements and owners mainly believes that the reason that the new rules is being created because of Italy’s failure in the 2010 World Cup, as many consider that the lack of local talents was the caused of their poor campaign in South Africa. However, off course the Serie A teams doesn’t really think that the amount of non EU players is the caused of Azzuri’s poor world club, not only that the club’s representatives also thinks that the new non EU rules won’t solve the problems the national team is having.

“This won’t resolve the problems in Italian football,” Adriano Galliani, Milan’s vice president, said. “It’s not as if we lost at the World Cup because club sides had two non-EU players instead of one,” added Palermo’s president, Mauro Zamparini. ” Whoever thought this up should be ashamed of themselves.”

This decision has surely become the most unpopular decisions for Italian clubs’ management as they now must change their transfers targets and rethink things they will do in the summer. More than that, the Lega Calcio board surely hates the idea as it could make the upcoming season less interesting due to the club’s limitation in acquiring more foreign talents from countries outside of the EU. The rules will certainly make many South American talents slipping from Italian clubs’ hands and fly away to La Liga, EPL or even the Bundesliga.

This kind of rules looks like a two edge swords as it might push Italian teams in using more of their Primavera players as soon as possible instead of loaning them, or maybe purchasing other home grown players in the league. The problem is whether it can really make that kind of script happens? As teams can always and still buy other foreign players as long as they have an EU passport, personally I don’t think that the limitation is a wise move from the FIGC as reducing one options for the club may loose their chance in getting the players they need that could probably lights up the league. Not to mention just as I said, that new rules won’t stop clubs from buying foreign players, so it’s nothing more than a gamble taken by the federation as a shot to push clubs in maximizing their youngsters.

Surely there will be more stories that will come regarding the new rules, possibly new meetings could be held to discuss whether it would be implement immediately or it will be postponed. Either way it should be interesting to witness how would the Italian clubs react answering to this non EU rules, we should see it during this summer transfer campaign whether they will finally use their youngsters more or just changing their targets to other EU foreigners.